🎞️International Cinema Unit 2 – European Cinema: Expressionism & Montage

Key Concepts and Definitions

• Expressionism artistic movement originating in early 20th century Germany emphasizing subjective and emotional expression over realism
• Montage editing technique involving juxtaposition of shots to create meaning, often associated with Soviet filmmakers like Sergei Eisenstein
• Mise-en-scène elements within a frame contributing to visual composition (set design, lighting, costumes)
• Chiaroscuro high-contrast lighting style creating dramatic shadows and highlights
• Kammerspielfilm German chamber play films focusing on psychological depth and character subjectivity
  • Emphasized intimate, interior settings and emotional intensity
• Cinematic syntax rules and conventions governing film language and structure
• Avant-garde experimental and innovative approaches challenging traditional filmmaking norms

Historical Context

• Emerged in post-World War I Germany amidst social, political, and economic upheaval
• Reflected anxieties, fears, and disillusionment of Weimar Republic era (1918-1933)
• Influenced by other artistic movements like German Expressionism in painting and theater
  • Emphasized distortion, exaggeration, and symbolic imagery to convey inner turmoil
• Soviet Montage developed in 1920s USSR as a politically-motivated editing style
  • Aimed to create intellectual and emotional impact through juxtaposition of images
• Responded to realism of earlier cinema by exploring subjective experiences and psychological states
• Laid groundwork for later avant-garde and art cinema movements

Major Filmmakers and Works

• Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) quintessential work of German Expressionist cinema known for distorted sets and unsettling atmosphere
• F.W. Murnau blended Expressionism with Kammerspielfilm in films like Nosferatu (1922) and The Last Laugh (1924)
• Fritz Lang incorporated Expressionist elements into films like Metropolis (1927) and M (1931)
• Sergei Eisenstein pioneered Soviet Montage in films like Battleship Potemkin (1925) and October (1928)
  • Developed theories of intellectual montage and dialectical editing
• Dziga Vertov experimented with documentary montage in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
• Abel Gance used rapid montage and multiple-screen projections in Napoleon (1927)

Expressionism in European Cinema

• Emphasized subjective experiences, emotions, and psychological states over objective reality
• Used stylized sets, costumes, and lighting to create distorted, nightmarish atmospheres reflecting characters' inner worlds
  • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari featured painted shadows and jagged, angular sets
• Employed chiaroscuro lighting for dramatic contrast and psychological effect
• Explored themes of madness, paranoia, and societal decay
• Influenced later horror and film noir genres with its unsettling visual style
• Exemplified by films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, and The Last Laugh

Montage Techniques and Theory

• Juxtaposed shots to create meaning through their association and collision
• Eisenstein developed theories of intellectual montage and dialectical editing
  • Believed montage could create new ideas and emotional impacts through the collision of images
• Kuleshov Effect demonstrated how juxtaposition of shots could alter perception and create meaning
• Metric montage edited shots according to mathematical or rhythmic patterns
• Tonal montage edited shots based on their emotional or psychological qualities
• Overtonal montage combined metric, tonal, and intellectual montage for complex effects
• Exemplified by films like Battleship Potemkin, October, and Man with a Movie Camera

Visual and Narrative Styles

• Expressionist films used distorted, stylized visuals to convey subjective experiences and psychological states
  • Painted shadows, angular sets, and chiaroscuro lighting created unsettling atmospheres
• Kammerspielfilm emphasized intimate, interior settings and psychological depth
  • Focused on character subjectivity and emotional intensity
• Soviet Montage used rapid, rhythmic editing to create intellectual and emotional impacts
  • Juxtaposed shots to convey meaning and ideological messages
• Avant-garde films experimented with unconventional techniques and challenged narrative norms
  • Abel Gance's Napoleon used multiple-screen projections and rapid montage
• Silent era required visual storytelling and expressive performances to convey meaning

Influence on Global Cinema

• Expressionist style influenced later horror and film noir genres with its unsettling visuals and psychological themes
• Soviet Montage theories impacted editing practices and avant-garde movements worldwide
  • Influenced French Impressionist filmmakers like Abel Gance and Jean Epstein
• Kammerspielfilm paved way for intimate, psychologically-driven chamber dramas
• Avant-garde techniques inspired later experimental and art cinema movements
  • Surrealist filmmakers like Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí drew from Expressionist imagery
• German Expressionist filmmakers like Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau later worked in Hollywood, bringing stylistic influences to American cinema
• Montage principles continue to shape editing practices and visual storytelling in contemporary cinema

Critical Analysis and Interpretation

• Expressionist films often interpreted as reflections of Weimar-era anxieties and social upheaval
  • The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari seen as allegory for authoritarianism and societal madness
• Soviet Montage films analyzed for their political and ideological messages
  • Battleship Potemkin viewed as propaganda for the Communist revolution
• Kammerspielfilm examined for its psychological depth and exploration of character subjectivity
• Avant-garde works studied for their experimental techniques and challenges to conventional filmmaking
• Scholars debate the extent to which Expressionist and Montage films truly broke from realist traditions
• Psychoanalytic and feminist theories applied to interpret symbols, themes, and character dynamics
  • Nosferatu's Count Orlok read as embodiment of repressed desires and sexual anxieties
• Historiographic approaches examine films' relationships to their social, political, and artistic contexts